Worth It For a Sunset
by claraoswelve
Summary: The Doctor takes Clara on a special birthday outing...whether he has her consent or not. Warning: Fluff Ahead


"Clara Oswald, if I have to pick you up out of this bed and carry you all the way to the TARDIS, I _will."_

The Doctor hovered at Clara's bedside with his lips contorted in a light smirk. He braced his knees against the side of the mattress, jerking it back and forth and tugging the blankets off her body. "Come _on!_"

"I'm exhausted!" She complained, rolling over onto her stomach with a groan and burying her face in the thick mass of pillows. "Angie and Artie had some mates over yesterday." She began, voice loudly muffled by the plush material. "Kept me up all night."

The Doctor let out a small noise of frustration and rolled her back over, pinning her shoulders down. "It's your birthday, Clara! I've got the whole day planned out. First we'll go to the Karazatmic Nebula and watch the birth of the first multi-colored star, then we'll watch the sunset laced entirely of microscopic water particles on Tantazami, and then-" He was cut off with the dazed sensation of a pillow connecting with his face. He made a dramatic show of reeling back and falling to the floor, lifting himself up a moment later with a large pout. "Ow!"

"Go away." She muttered, eyes fluttering back closed. She gripped the blanket and tucked it around her shoulders, heaving a sigh that symbolized her fatigue. In the few moments of silence that followed, she let a small smile graze her lips in the realization that she'd finally been left in peace.

So much for that.

Clara barely had time to blink, let alone physically move, before she felt herself being bundled up tightly in the thick duvet and hauled upwards. She let out a little squeal amidst her squirms, limbs rendered useless by the claustrophobic, fluffy prison. "Doctor!"

"I told you!" He shouted with a chuckle, gripping her almost uncomfortably tight in his warm clutch. "You can't lay about all day long when it's your _birthday_!" He emphasized, incredulously.

"But I'm tired." She whined again, giving up on all useless attempts to break free. With a sigh of submission, she relaxed and let her head rest against his chest. "Can we go to the planet of eternal pillows, so maybe I can at least _get some sleep?_"

The Doctor's only reply was a barely stifled laugh, resulting in an annoyed little grunt as Clara gave his bow-tie an unforgivable tug.

Clara was finally released once the duo was safe inside the dead-locked TARDIS. She only made half an attempt at escaping, trying to subdue the sudden nagging interest in the back of her mind. Still, she didn't mind toying with the Doctor a bit. Each time she'd made a break for the TARDIS he'd come running up immediately after, wrapping his arms loosely around her torso and bringing her all the way back to the jump seat. "It'll be worth it!" He shouted excitedly, pressing a few buttons on the console until they were sent spiraling into space.

With an undignified, childish pout, Clara crossed her arms and slumped onto the jump seat, slightly hunched over to exaggerate her agitation.

"Oh, stop it." He gave a mocking sort of scowl amidst his work about the controls. "So! Where to first? Star or sunset?"

The first words nearly breaking free from behind her lips were those of annoyance and frustration, but that curiosity...that natural, _nagging _interest took over. "Sunset." She muttered, not as begrudgingly as she'd intended.

Another flick of a switch and they were off again, ship warbling with every turn it took. Finally, the box connected with solid ground, and the Doctor swung open the doors with an excited grin. "Here we are!" He looked back at Clara, who was still seated in her little chair of disappointment, and held out his hand. "Come on. You know you want to."

"Oh, what the hell." She finally mumbled, small laugh managing to escape her lips as she bounded up to his side.

Withing moments they were seated in the tall, sweet-smelling, bright green grass, staring up ahead at the mass of slightly tinted clouds. Clara listened as the Doctor rambled on about this and that, why the air seemed so thick, what caused the colors that were yet to appear in the sky and such.

"How much longer?" She asked, just now realizing she had her head rested against his shoulder.

"3, 2, 1..." He mumbled, seemingly to himself with his gaze fixated on his watch. "Now!"

Clara's eyes flew back to the sky above. She let out a little gasp of awe and her eyes widened, completely mesmerized by the colors that danced through the sky. "Wow." Was the only word she managed to scrape up from her subconscious. That and a little shocked, weak laugh.

"Good, eh?" The Doctor said proudly, cracking his knuckles and straightening that ridiculous purple bow tie. He shrugged off his jacket and stretched it outward inches behind where they were seated, permitting the two to relax back against the ground comfortably.

The wind swept Clara's hair sideways and away from her face as she laid her head against the soft tweed. Her smile was still bright, gaze never wavering as she watched the colors progress across the sky. The Doctor laughed a bit at her expression, hand inching over to grasp hers almost on its own accord. She immediately responded with the tight grip in return, fingers twining with his.

They sat in silence for a few more moments, not really having much to go off of for a friendly conversation. So they made up for the lack of talk with touch. By now Clara lay perpendicular to his body, her head resting comfortably atop his stomach. Their hands were still tightly laced together, his arm around her shoulders.

The Doctor tilted his head and kept his eyes on her for the majority of the time that passed. He watched as her grouped locks of silky hair flew about with each gust of wind, smiling at the cute mess it left in its wake when she made no attempt to smooth it out. He ran his thumb deftly atop her hand, taking the time to memorize every inch. His free hand made its way atop her head, finally relieving himself of the itch to comb his fingers through her hair. She let out a little sigh of contentment in reply, but they still said no more.

Many more minutes passed, by now long after the sunset had drawn to a close. They were left in a peaceful, quiet night, the faint sound of birds chirping sending soothing feelings coursing through their minds.

"Ready to head back?" He asked quietly, frowning when he heard no response. "Clara?"

But then he just smiled when he caught sight of her closed eyelids and slowed breathing. With a little laugh, he pressed a light kiss to the only part of her cheek he could reach without jostling her, then relaxed back against the ground.

"Happy birthday, Clara."


End file.
